Consultant May Help Design Commons Project

NEW LENOX — Bringing in a consultant may lead the way toward pinning down a theme for the New Lenox Commons, members of the village's Open Space Committee said recently.

Village officials are considering a special zoning district "to encourage cohesive development" in the proposed town center south of U.S. Highway 30 and north of the Village Hall on Haven Avenue, Planning and Development Administrator Robin Ellis said.

A new library is already under construction on the site, and infrastructure work, including road and utility construction, is under way. Plans for the area include green space, a pond, a gazebo, a veterans memorial, a possible recreation center and eventually a new village hall. Commercial development is expected on the privately owned land.

The goal is to create "something that is going to fit in a town-square-type atmosphere," Trustee Annette Bowden said.

Bowden suggested bringing in consultants from the Lannert Group, which has worked on design questions for the village, to discuss some guidelines with the committee.

Ellis suggested setting up a meeting of the committee and private landowners in the Commons area with the consultants in January.